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Morning Edition

December 30, 2024

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One way to dull the impact of a bowl-game letdown: Going from millions in NIL pay to millions in NFL pay.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], and Dan Roberts [[link removed]]

NIL Stars Sanders, Hunter, Ward Prep for NFL After Disappointing CFB Finales [[link removed]]

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A week after a blowout-filled first round of the College Football Playoff, the top NFL prospects whose teams missed out on the tournament didn’t exactly light the world on fire in their final games as amateurs.

The Colorado Buffaloes, led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback–wide receiver Travis Hunter, were blown out by BYU at the Alamo Bowl, 36–14. Despite the loss, Hunter played well, leading the team in receiving yards (106) and tackles (4), but Sanders finished with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Meanwhile, Miami fell to Iowa State at the Pop-Tarts Bowl, 42–41, as QB Cam Ward sat the second half. He threw three touchdown passes in the first half—which lifted him to a Division I record 158—but was criticized for his decision to rest, which was likely to avoid the risk of injury before the NFL draft.

“I appreciate that Cam Ward, in this day and age in CFB, played at all. But I just can’t imagine starting any game with teammates, especially as a quarterback, and electing to pull myself out while my teammates are still trying to finish the job in a back-and-forth battle,” The Ringer’s Todd McShay wrote on X [[link removed]].

Sanders, Hunter, and Ward are three of the highest-earning college football players from NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals. Sanders secured an endorsement deal with Nike— following in the footsteps of his father [[link removed]], Deion—while Ward and Hunter are the two college football players who have signed with Adidas [[link removed]].

Ward was also reportedly paid around $2 million to transfer to Miami [[link removed]] from Washington State last year, which, at the time, was one of the largest deals in history.

The NFL Draft Awaits

Hunter, Ward, and Sanders are projected to be the first three players selected in the NFL Draft by ESPN [[link removed]] and The Athletic [[link removed]]. The three are somewhere within the top five [[link removed]] in most mock drafts.

The draft order has yet to be determined, but the Patriots, Titans, Browns, and Giants are all 3-13 going into Week 18. All four teams could use either a fresh face at quarterback, a offensive weapon to support their young signal caller, or both.

The three-day NFL Draft starts on April 24 from outside Lambeau Field in Green Bay [[link removed]].

Why Top MLB Free Agent Corbin Burnes Took Less Money in Arizona [[link removed]]

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Corbin Burnes has been one of MLB’s best pitchers for nearly his entire career. Over the last five full seasons, only two pitchers have thrown more innings, and only one has maintained a lower ERA. Burnes was excellent in Baltimore last year, finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting. Why did an ace who won’t turn 31 until next year’s World Series agree to six years and $210 million—a smaller contract than Max Fried signed with the Yankees?

One very significant reason is the contract structure. Burnes can opt out of the deal in just two years, giving him a chance to hit free agency and capitalize yet again. We saw Blake Snell do this, albeit with a much smaller deal: He signed in San Francisco for two years and $62 million in March, then opted out of the second year and signed with the Dodgers for five years and $182 million [[link removed]] in November.

Burnes can do that on a larger scale; he gets a guarantee of over $200 million, with the chance to cash in yet again at the age of 32.

Arizona Edge

Burnes was widely reported to be negotiating with the Giants and Blue Jays, but another factor in the decision, per USA Today [[link removed]]: Arizona has a 2.5% state income tax rate, relative to 12.3% in California. USA Today also reported that Burnes was offered seven years and $250 million [[link removed]] by an AL East team, but with no opt-outs. He chose flexibility.

Arizona was not linked to top free agents this offseason, particularly pitchers. The Diamondbacks’ strength is their pitching staff, and the team’s owner called starter Jordan Montgomery, who’s still under contract, “ our biggest mistake [[link removed]].” This move also pushes the traditionally frugal franchise’s payroll to 11th for 2025, above big-market teams like the Giants and Cubs. How did they afford this commitment?

The Diamondbacks’ books aren’t public, but their attendance is. The team sold 19% more tickets [[link removed].] in 2024 than in 2023 after reaching the World Series. Additionally, Burnes deferred $10 million per year—up to $50 million—until the end of the contract, driving the current value of the contract down further. At that point, it was surely hard for Arizona to rationalize not adding the ace, a Scottsdale native who clearly wanted to be in the Phoenix area full-time.

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Loud and Clear Sports World Pays Tribute to Greg Gumbel

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“In a career that spanned over 50 years, Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow.” — Gus Johnson [[link removed]]

“On the air, he was kind, trustworthy, and ego-free—just as he was if you were fortunate enough to know him off the air.” — Jim Nantz [[link removed]]

“He was one of the kindest, most respectful, and professional men that I’ve ever worked with.” — Hannah Storm [[link removed]]

“I owe my pregame [broadcast] career to Greg Gumbel. … He taught me so much about doing this show.” — Terry Bradshaw [[link removed]]

Members of the sports media world paid tribute to Greg Gumbel over the weekend after his family announced Friday [[link removed]] that the legendary sports broadcaster passed away at the age of 78 due to cancer.

Gumbel worked in sports media for over 50 years, spending time at ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor and at NBC Sports, where he called NBA and MLB games and also hosted daytime coverage for the 1996 Summer Olympics. His most prominent work came when he joined CBS Sports, where he was the studio host for the network’s March Madness coverage for 25 years.

He also became the first black announcer to call play-by-play for any major U.S. sports championship game during Super Bowl XXXV in 2001.

Takeaways From Netflix’s NFL Christmas Debut

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Netflix’s instant success distributing NFL games is an inflection point in live sports rights, full stop. But amid all the screaming headlines about the record audience and how the NFL stole Christmas from the NBA, some things have been misrepresented or misinterpreted. Here are a few key takeaways.

1. Global distribution is more valuable than production expertise. Remember: Netflix doesn’t have the staff to actually produce an NFL broadcast; CBS produced the games, and Netflix simply streamed them (plus, staffed the talent from all across network television [[link removed]]). It didn’t produce the Tyson-Paul fight either, and won’t produce WWE Raw when that streams on Netflix beginning in January [[link removed]]. That’s all just fine: Netflix’s global reach is its true strength. It doesn’t need to produce the content.

On top of its three-year, $150 million Christmas Day deal with the NFL, Netflix just secured U.S. media rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup [[link removed]]. Netflix has fully arrived as a force in live sports bidding, because its 282 million global subscriber base is unrivaled in the OTT landscape. Content is king, as the saying goes, but scaled global distribution is a mightier king.

2. The NBA didn’t “lose” Christmas Day. Sure, LeBron James saying “I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day [[link removed]]” looked silly in light of the NFL games averaging 24 million viewers and the NBA games averaging 5 million. But unlike the NFL, the NBA’s viewership went up 83% compared to last year [[link removed]]. It was the NBA’s most-watched Christmas in five years. The games were close and exciting, and the league might have fixed its ratings crisis in one day [[link removed]]. The NBA’s year-over-year ratings decline [[link removed]], as high as 26% a couple of weeks ago, is now down to just 4%.

Comparing any league’s viewership to the NFL’s is never going to make anyone but the NFL look good. NFL games accounted for 93 of the 100 most-watched live telecasts last year. It’ll be 90+ again in 2024. The NFL had a fine Christmas Day, the NBA had a stellar Christmas Day, and Netflix was the biggest winner.

For three more takeaways, read the full column [[link removed]] from FOS editor in chief Dan Roberts.

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Beyond the action, SailGP’s Women’s Performance Program [[link removed]] is breaking barriers, ensuring female athletes compete at the highest levels. From history-making sailors like Martine Grael to groundbreaking initiatives like women-only training camps, SailGP is steering the sport toward a more inclusive future.

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Status Report One Up, Three Down

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Pop-Tarts Bowl ⬆ Year Two [[link removed]] delivered more creative innovations to last year’s viral game, including a trophy with an actual toaster and additional mascots [[link removed]] representing more Pop-Tarts flavors.

Kings ⬇ Head coach Mike Brown was fired Friday [[link removed]] while driving to the team plane to board a flight to Los Angeles, according to ESPN. Sacramento is 13–18 and in the middle of a five-game losing streak. However, Brown had a 107–88 record in over two seasons as Kings head coach and won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 2023, the same year he led the Kings back to the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons. Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who was fired by the Kings in 2015, reacted to Brown’s firing [[link removed]] by saying the organization has “no class.”

Tennis ⬇ Novak Djokovic called out the lack of “consistency” and “transparency” [[link removed]] in tennis doping cases. “I’m just questioning the way that the system works and why certain players are not treated the same like the other players,” Djokovic said. Men’s World No. 1 Jannik Sinner [[link removed]] and women’s World No. 2 Iga Świątek [[link removed].] were both given minor penalties for testing positive for doping in 2024. Djokovic—who leads all men with 24 Grand Slam titles—added that he doesn’t believe Sinner intentionally took a banned substance.

East Carolina, NC State ⬇ Eight players were ejected following a brawl during Saturday’s Military Bowl. The incident happened with just 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter before the Pirates’ 26–21 win, and left one of the officials with a cut under the eye after being inadvertently hit by a helmet. The two teams face off again for their season opener next year on Aug. 30.

Conversation Starters Cam Newton called baseball a “dying” sport and thinks the WNBA will surpass its popularity in 20 years [[link removed]]. Victor Wembanyama played chess at Washington Square Park in Manhattan on Saturday, a day after he and the Spurs played the Nets and three days after they faced the Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Christmas. Check it out [[link removed]]. Australian darts pro Damon Heta earned a $75,000 bonus after landing the second nine-dart finish at the PDC World Darts Championship. Check it out [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Travis Hunter Set to Sign With Lil Wayne’s Sports Agency [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The Heisman winner declined top agencies and chose Young Money APAA Sports. Vince Carter: I Didn’t Want to ‘Just Put Money In’ With the Bills [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Carter looked into NBA ownership before purchasing a stake in the Bills. Question of the Day

Will all three of Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, and Cam Ward be top-five picks in April's NFL Draft?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Friday’s result: 36% of you said you watched the Lakers-Warriors game on Christmas, which ended up as the NBA’s highest-rated regular-season matchup in five years.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Daniel Roberts [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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